Round balers have become an integral part of the agricultural industry and a variety of different types of balers are currently in use. Balers that use a system of belts that compress the bale and systems that used a fixed chamber to form the bale are commonly used. However, common to all balers is the need to wrap the finished round bale with a wrap material or a material that secures the bale. After the crop material has been picked up by the baler and a bale is completely formed in the chamber, the bale is then typically wrapped with a wrap material to keep the bale intact and protected. After the wrapping is completed, the bale is ejected from the baling chamber and is later picked up for storage or use.
To accomplish the wrapping of the round bale, mechanisms have been developed to feed wrap material from single rolls into the baling chamber. An example of this type of prior art is the wrapping mechanism disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,208. This wrapping device feeds wrap material from a single roll into the baling chamber. In addition, mechanisms that draw from two rolls of wrap material have also been developed. An example of such prior art is the wrapping mechanism disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,478,517. This wrapping device utilizes two rolls of wrap material, two cutting devices and a single feeding mechanism. It has the capability to feed just the first roll or both rolls at the same time. Feeding of the second roll is possible only when biasing the second roll against the first roll. Similarly, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,716,903 a belt drive mechanism can be attached to two rolls of wrap material, where one roll is an active roll and the other roll is powered by the belt attached to the active roll. This device discloses starting the second passive roll as the active roll is ending so the wrapping process can continue even if one roll runs out of netwrap. However, because the passive roll is powered by the active roll, the passive roll can only be fed if the active roll is being fed. Another example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,605, which uses two rolls of wrapping material and enters the baling chamber at two separate locations.
To maximize the life of each roll of wrap material it is important that each bale be wrapped with a precise amount of wrap. For example, in current systems a bale is sometimes either under wrapped, where the bale is ejected and begins to fall apart, or over wrapped, which is a waste of wrapping material.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.